DOI: 10.1146/annurev.immunol.18.1.767 ISSN:
Immunobiology of Dendritic Cells
Jacques Banchereau, Francine Briere, Christophe Caux, Jean Davoust, Serge Lebecque, Yong-Jun Liu, Bali Pulendran, Karolina Palucka- Immunology
- Immunology and Allergy
Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells with a unique ability to induce primary immune responses. DCs capture and transfer information from the outside world to the cells of the adaptive immune system. DCs are not only critical for the induction of primary immune responses, but may also be important for the induction of immunological tolerance, as well as for the regulation of the type of T cell–mediated immune response. Although our understanding of DC biology is still in its infancy, we are now beginning to use DC-based immunotherapy protocols to elicit immunity against cancer and infectious diseases.